


All we know is distance

by TheyCallMeBol



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Kinda, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Missing Scene, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Post-Season/Series 05, The others barely speak tbh, Well not really, but enjoy, i guess, listen im bad at tagging, more like mid-season, this is just klance fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 14:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13882833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyCallMeBol/pseuds/TheyCallMeBol
Summary: “ Wait, wait, wait, wait- isn’t that…?” Lance interrupted.“Lance?”“Heck yeah it is!” he exclaimed and he felt Red’s excitement. “ I would recognize that mullet anywhere!”“Keith?” Hunk asked excitedly. “But where are the rest of the blades? Is he alone?”“I’ll pick him up!” Lance said already pushing Red’s controls.“Wait, Lance-”Someone bookmarked this as:  Season 5. Lance picks Keith up and they catch up. That's literally it.





	All we know is distance

**Author's Note:**

> HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY  
> i know this is like, the first thing i publish after months?  
> Actually, last thing i published was after season 4. Wow  
> but you know, college, i guess.  
> Well, for those out there who still believe in the power of Klance. I hear you. I'm here with you.
> 
> Title from 'Where the story ends' by The Fray

Lance cheered as Red roared in his head excitedly.

“Awesome guys!” he said. “We just owned those galra asses!”

“And look! Lotor just lit that giant torch-thingy!” Hunk said. “That means its done, right? He’s emperor now!”

“I believe so.” Allura said. “Shiro was right then.”

“ Wait, wait, wait, wait- isn’t that…?” Lance interrupted.

“Lance?”

“Heck yeah it is!” he exclaimed and he felt Red’s excitement. “ I would recognize that mullet anywhere!”

“Keith?” Hunk asked excitedly. “But where are the rest of the blades? Is he alone?”

“I’ll pick him up!” Lance said already pushing Red’s controls.

“Wait, Lance-”

He turned the coms off without thinking. Keith was there. How long had it been? Sure, they had seen him in the few conversations they had with the Blade from time to time, but he was always in silence, behind Kolivan, like some weird kind of shade.

Lance hated to think Keith was that now.

He didn’t waste a second and fired just next to the small black figure.

He snorted when Keith jumped about four feet. He glanced up (probably frowning, Lance couldn’t really see his face) and lifted a hand at the lion.

Lance felt Red’s huge wave of amusement and affection as Keith’s smirk appeared on his screen.

God, he had missed him so much.

He practically jumped from his seat and run just in time to lean on the wall crossing his arms in the coolest pose he could think of before Keith arrived at the lion.

“Hey man.” he greeted his former ex-teammate and longtime crush. “Need a lift?”

“Lance.” Keith answered fondly.

And if Lance’s insides melted a little at the sight of that warm smile, nobody was there to know.

Red amusement hit him again and he stumbled a little.

“The rest of the blades?” he asked as Keith got in and walked directly to the cockpit.

“Uh... they left.” he said as he passed his hand over Red’s controls absentmindedly. “When we finished the mission.”

“And you stayed?”

“We had set bombs all over that place.” he said without looking at Lance. “As soon as I saw the Black lion I came back and tried to turn them off.”

“Really?” 

“Well, yeah. Of course. I couldn’t just let the place explode with Shiro up there.” Keith said frowning.

Lance hummed. “And the others?”

“I told you. Once the mission was completed they left.”

“They left you there. Alone. Surrounded by the enemy.” 

“It was my decision. They let me choose to stay or to leave with them.”

“Well- _ duh.  _ But how did they expect you to get back to the base, Keith?” Lance asked frowning. “They are your teammates.”

Keith ducked his head and didn’t reply. Lance sighed and stared at him. They had just left him. The Blade didn’t care about him. At least not like Voltron did.

_ Like I do. _

He finally sat on his seat and lifted his hands to the controls but stopped mid-air.

“Do you wanna uhm- pilot?” he asked softly.

“What?” Keith asked gazing up from the floor.

“Pilot Red?” Lance said scratching his neck. “You know… for the old times?”

“I-” Keith said unsure. “I don’t- I can’t-”

“Yes, yes you can, Keith.” Lance said standing. “C’mon, I know you can feel it too. Red wants you to.”

“But… no.” Keith said shaking his head. “No. Red’s your lion.”

“But-”

“Lance.” Keith said harshly. “No. Please.”

The paladin closed his mouth on a thin lined and resigned himself. He fell softly on the seat and sighed. That awkward silence again. He didn’t want it to be like this with Keith. After so many weeks of worrying how the other was doing, wondering when he would see him, fantasizing about what he would say when they met again… he couldn’t just leave it like this.

He hadn’t even made the mistake this time of thinking that distance and not knowing about Keith would help Lance forgetting about him. Just like when Keith got kicked out of the Garrison, Lance seemed to be unable of getting him out of his mind, even after months of not seeing each other.

“At least sit here?” 

“Huh?” 

“Sit...” Lance said clearing his throat. “With me?”

Keith looked at him surprised for a second before looking down at the floor. Again. 

“I am  _ not _ sitting on your lap.” he muttered and call it crazy but Lance would swear Keith was blushing.

“No!” he blurted quickly. “No! No- I meant- if I scoot over a little we can-”

“Oh.” Keith said and both remained in silence until Keith disentangled his crossed arms and walked slowly to the seat. He looked directly at Lance’s eyes for a second before sitting quickly.

Lance’s heartbeat had gone crazy by now but he wasn’t even surprised. He tried to clean his sweaty hands on his jeans to find the armor instead and sigh. Right. They were inside the lion.

“Are we going or what?” Keith asked looking at him. Lance gulped. Maybe this was too close for his heart. He could perfectly appreciate Keith indigo-purple-starlike eyes from here. Oh god why was he so beautiful- This was a mistake- 

“Lance.”

“What? Shut it mullet- yeah I was going _ to- _ before somebody rudely interrupted me.” he grabbed the controls quickly. “Jeez someones is impatient to get back to his friendly buddies that just left-”

“Lance.” Keith sighed.

“Sorry.” he muttered and started flying. “Don’t you wanna make a quick stop at the castle?”

“I-” Keith crossed his arms again and frowned. “I don’t know…”

“C’mon, just for a while. It doesn’t even have to be long. Stay for dinner or something.”

Keith snorted.

“Dinner.”

“Yeah.” Lance laughed. “Don’t you have that now or what?”

Keith laughed dryly.

“Nope.” he answered. “We have this rations- they are like pills. You go to the closest dispenser and grab your ration for the day. Basically, that’s it.”

“That’s… very sad.”

“Well, you get used to it, I guess.” Keith smiled. “I can’t believe I miss that food goo.”

“Well, I know that you miss pineapple pizza, which is a crime so-”

“Hey, I told you that in confidence!”

Lance laughed and Keith joined him, and soon they were both shaking with laughter sharing the small seat.

“… we don’t actually eat that space-snot anymore” Keith snorted and Lance  _ had _ to keep talking.  “ Hunk has been experimenting with this thing I’m not very sure what’s made off or where he even found it but I swear it tastes like mayonnaise-”

“Oh god-  _ mayonnaise. _ ” Keith sighed.

“And it goes surprisingly good with food goo?”

“Gross.”

“Shut up pill-eater.”

Keith bumped his shoulder lightly and Lance smiled at him.

“What about Shiro?” Keith asked.

“He’s… stressed. A lot.” Lance sighed. “I don’t know- I don’t know how to help him…”

“He’s… he’s been acting weird. Since before I left. I’m sorry I left you that responsibility too.”

“It wasn’t your responsibility then and it isn’t mine now.” Lance said frowning. “We are a team. A family. And we should work in all this together.”

Keith hummed.

“You are good at that.”

“What? Motivational speeches?” Lance said sarcastically.

“No.” Keith laughed. “Well, that too. But I didn’t mean that.”

“...then?”

“You are good at talking to people. Bringing them together. You’ll figure it out. You are- far better at that than any of us. Better than I will ever be.”

Lance gulped. 

“I have always thought that was what made you great. Your ‘thing’, or something like that.”

Silence.“Careful mullet, or I’ll start thinking you care about me.”

“That line is cliché and stupid.” Keith said. “You know I care about you.”

“Yeah.” Lance smiled. “I know.”

Keith sighed and uncrossed his arms to lay a little bit more comfortable on their shared seat.

“What about Pidge?”

“Oh!” Lance exclaimed. “Can’t believe I forgot this- We found Commander Holt!”

“What?! Why didn’t you start with that?!”

“I just told you I forgot!” Keith sighed. “Did you know him?”

“Yeah, well I talked to him sometimes when I visited Shiro and Matt.” Keith said. “I’m glad to hear they are all together and safe again.”

“Well… define ‘safe’.”

“You know what I mean.”

“He went back to Earth.”

“Really?” 

Lance hummed. “Hunk gave him a message for his family.”

“And… you didn’t?” Keith asked cautiously. He knew Lance’s family was a difficult issue for him. He was incredibly attached to them and was the most homesick of all the Paladins.

“At first I wasn’t going to. Hunk himself had done one for my family too, telling them I was okay. What was I even going to add to that? My mum will keep worrying till I come back.”

“But...?”

“But then I realize that I had to prove her somehow that I was okay. That I was happy. So I looked for some of the photos I have been taking. One of each planet and several of the team.” Keith probably didn’t know he had been doing that. “I even managed to sneak some of you brooding.”

Keith shoved him again and Lance laughed.

“Photos of us having fun basically. So she can see I have a family here too. Maybe she will be a little less worried like that. I don’t know. I hope so.”

“She will.” Keith reassured him. “That was very sweet of you.”

“Well, thanks. I’m a sap like that.”

“I think it’s cute.” Keith whispered. “What about Allura and Coran?”

“Ugh- Allura. She’s- she’s getting  _ really _ friendly with Lotor.”

“What now?” Keith snorted. “Allura and Lotor are like- I don’t know what kind of relationship-?”

“I  _ know _ right?” Lance sighed. “I mean, he’s a prince, he’s amazing and all that but-”

“Wait.” Keith interrupted. “Do you still have feelings for her?”

Lance gulped.  _ Damn it. _

“Not… really? I mean.” he cleared his throat. “She’s amazing and gorgeous but I- I  _ obviously  _ I Was, attracted to her. Who wouldn’t?”

“Me.”

“Well yeah, you’re gay. Doesn’t count.” Lance said. “But, I don’t know. With time she has become so much more... like a sister to me. Just like Pidge.”

“Oh.” Keith said softly. “I see.”

“And just like with my sister, it’s hard to see an asshole trying to score one with her. Especially when I don’t trust him. Not yet, at least.”

“Well, I would trust your instincts.”

“Really?” Lance laughed. “Even after Nyma?” 

“Well... maybe not with pretty girls but yeah- in general I would trust your instincts. I don’t completely trust Lotor either.”

“But he saved you.” Lance muttered.

“Yeah.” Keith said nodding. ”He saved all of us. But he- I don’t know. I don’t know what to think. What about Coran?”

“Coran is fine, I guess. His normal self.” Lance answered. “I think he does trust Lotor, but it’s just for the Princess’ sake, to be honest.”

“Your typical Coran.” Keith smiled.

“Yeah.” Lance smiled too. “What else, what else… For some weird reason, Commander Holt seems to ship Hunk and Pidge? Like, I hadn’t even thought about that? But it kinda makes sense?  Oh! Pidge and I just got to level 17 in this video game- And oh my- you  _ have _ to see what I can do with my Bayard!”

He turned to find Keith already looking at him with a fond smile.

“What?” he asked, not able to hide his own growing smile.

“Nothing.” Keith said laughing a little. “I just missed how excited you get when you speak.”

“Oh.” Lance said and if Keith pointed it out he would blame his blush on Red’s lights. But Keith didn’t.

“What happened with your Bayard?”

“Oh!” Lance smirked. “Guess who just got an awesome new altean sword-”

“ _ NO _ !” Keith shouted and Lance jumped on his seat. Suddenly there were hands gripping his shoulders. Was Keith mad-? “That’s  _ awesome _ ! Lance-!”

Keith was practically on top of him now- after all his complaining before. “-amazing! Just imagine how much we can- Wait do you know how to use it yet? Can we spar?”

“Keith, Keith-” Lance interrupted him laughing. “I did it just once, basically by mistake-”

“Don’t start faking humility now, it doesn’t suit you” Keith said smirking. “I’m actually impressed you didn’t call me to show off or something.”

“Well, I  _ would have _ if we had a way. Is not like I can call you. Or talk to you at all”

“Sorry.” 

Keith released his shoulders and went back to his previous position, shrunk on his seat, arms crossed.

“No- no, it’s fine! Actually-” Lance cleared his throat nervously. “I asked Pidge to build a communication device. Just for us. Not Coalition business or anything. To talk. In private- if-if you want to. It kinda works like the old walkie-talkies?”

“You asked Pidge to build it?”

“Yeah!” Lance answered. “Well, there was lots of stuff I wanted to tell you, and couldn’t- Also Hunk! He misses you a lot. And Pidge as well. I have been carrying it around for forever. I mean, is not like I knew when we would meet. So if we saw each other-”

“Thank you, Lance.” Keith interrupted him. “That’s very cool.”

“It was nothing- Is not like I built it or anything.” he laughed.

“Well, but it was your idea.” Keith said smiling. “You have good ideas sometimes.”

“Excuse you? Sometimes? Like you are any better! You are as dumb as- as…”

Keith snorted and Lance didn’t even try to come up with something, he just enjoyed watching Keith’s smile.

They didn’t continue talking. But it wasn’t like before. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was just them, flying and stealing glances when the other wasn’t looking. At some point, Lance felt Keith’s head hit his shoulder softly.

“Are you tired?” he barely whispered, in case the other was asleep.

Keith hummed. “Yeah. Long day.”

“You tell me.”

“Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“That communication device…”

“The space walkie-talkie?”

Keith laughed. “Yeah. The space walkie-talkie.”

“What about it?”

“Can we… can we really use it whenever we feel like it?”

“Yeah. That’s the idea. If something is super worth of sharing, or you are upset or whatever. If you feel like talking to us. And obviously it’s a two-way communication- I mean we can talk to you too… If you want.”

“Yeah.” Keith said. “Of course I want.”

“Awesome.” Lance muttered and Keith yawned on his shoulder. “Uh- you can rest a little. It will still take some time to get home.”

_ Home. _

“...okay.”

And like that in the quiet of their shared existence, they flew together into the sea of stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Please please please if you see any mistake in like, english (?) don't hesitate to tell me!!  
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
